The CEO's Contract Bride: Marriage On Paper

Bruce

Kenzie was the one who brought lunch to my office today. Seeing her reminded me of Natasha, my secretary for two years.

She had been loyal since and I wondered how she could have changed so terribly.

Kenzie was usually pleasant but today, she looked different. No doubt, everyone must have heard what happened with Natasha.

"Were you close with Natasha?" I asked her as I picked the cup of coffee. I could see Kenzie look nervous all of a sudden.

"No. No, sir," She replied frantically.

I looked at her and laughed. Of course, everyone wouldn't want to be associated with Natasha as it could cause them to lose their job.

"I checked the CCTV today. Both of you communicated nicely so I thought you might know her well..." I muttered, dropping the cup.

I stared at my fingernails, admiring how beautiful it looked. Such a meticulous being, I was.

"We only talk about work, boss. May I leave?" Kenzie asked.

I nodded and she seemed reluctant to leave. Later, she turned towards me.

"I think you should confirm if she really leaked those documents. She isn't the kind of person to do such a thing."

"Just act like you don't know her, Kenzie," I said calmly. "I might look calm on the outside but my blood boils on the inside. Now isn't the time to support the traitor."

"Yes, boss," Kenzie walked out as quickly as possible.

I picked my phone and called Kelvin, the one who took care of dirty matters.

He was my childhood friend. We attended the same school but the irony was that he was a scholarship student because his parents were so poor that they couldn't afford the expensive school fees.

My own family were the ones who funded the scholarship initiative.

While I went to study business administration in the university, I lost contact with Kelvin. Later, I found out he had joined the military.

Fate brought us together again after he was wrongfully dismissed from the military as a lieutenant. From then, he became my shadow. He was good at his job.

"About Natasha... Did you find out anything weird afterwards?" I asked over the phone.

"One of my men tailed her," Kelvin responded. "He watched her enter the head office of Mac Group." My heart sank.

"Now I know!" I exclaimed. "Baldwin must have offered her a better salary at his company. That's why she betrayed me. She went there to claim her new job."

"But..." Kelvin tried urgently.

"I have no reason to hear it!" I cut the call.

Out of anger, I slammed the phone against the wall as I paced back and forth. My fists were clenched and I was thinking about what I had to do to rid this humiliation and betrayal.

Baldwin McAllen was the CEO of Mac Group. His company was the fiercest rival of my company, Stamford Group. The competition was unhealthy and every time, Baldwin ends up using dirty means to get what he wanted.

I had always taken his jabs but this time, it had to be different.

I heard a knock on the door and before I could acknowledge, the door opened and Kenzie ran in. She was panting and she looked scared.

"There is urgent news from your grandmother, boss!" Kenzie said urgently.

"And why would my grandma call the receptionist's phone rather than me?"

I had barely finished this when I cast a look on my phone in pieces right before me. Right, I had slammed the phone by myself.

"Your grandma has collapsed!" Kenzie broke the news. I felt my heart skip a beat as well.

**How I managed to get to the hospital without an accident needed to be researched. I couldn't concentrate and the thought that my grandma, my last surving family, had collapsed got me so scared.

On arriving at the hospital, her condition had stabilized and I could breathe properly.

"Let me see you privately, Mr. Bruce," The doctor told me.

I followed him to his office and he had water served for me and my nerves cooled before he told me.

"It appears your grandmother might be dying soon."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"She has been treating cancer for a few years now. She wanted it kept from you before but I'm afraid it is at its terminal stage right now," The doctor said faintly.

"How long does she have left?" I managed to ask. I felt sick inside of me but I had to be a man.

"Three months," His voice sounded like a murmur. It felt as if my whole world had collapsed. I had difficulty breathing again.

"Are you okay?" The doctor was saying. "Mr. Bruce!"

"I'm fine," I managed to reply.

"Is there no other solution? I have money, you know that. Can't you do something? I'll pay for it no matter how expensive it is."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bruce," The doctor added.

"I can only advise that you spend the next three months with her, fulfill her wishes, and help her leave this world in peace."

When they told me grandma was conscious, I went in to see her. I didn't cry like the six year old who usually held onto her whenever he bruised his knee.

"Are you dying?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," She replied. "Come here."

I hugged her frail body and now, I couldn't hold those tears. She teared up too and she held me in her arms like I was a baby.

"Would you do me a favor before I die?" She asked me.

"Anything!" I shrugged. She was the most precious person to me and if I couldn't save her life, I would at least honor her wishes.

"Then, I want you to get married and live happily. That's the only way I will be able to rest in peace. Can you do that for grandma?" She asked carefully.

I held her hands now and looked into her eyes.

"Your wish is my command!" I nodded with tear filled eyes.